Protector for shoes



May 29, 1956 L. ABRAHA'MS 2,747,303

PROTECTOR FOR SHOES 7 Filed Oct. 22, 1952 INVENTOR LLL\AN L. ABRAHAMS ATTORNEY United States atent O PROTECTOR FOR SHOES Lillian L. Abrahams, Long Island City, N. Y.

Application October 22, 1952, Serial No. 316,243

3 Claims. (Cl. 36-72) This invention relates to protectors for the toes of shoes and particularly for childrens shoes.

Broadly, it is an object of the invention to provide toe protectors for shoes which will protect the toe of the shoes against damage or scuff, or should the shoe be scuffed or worn the toe protectors will cover such worn spots, presenting a smooth and new looking appearance to the toe of the shoe.

A further object of the invention is to provide a protector for shoe toes which is different in thickness in its cross sectional area, that is uneven in its thickness, so that the upper end covering the toe of the shoe tapers to a fine edge while the lower or end lying against the toe of the sole is also tapered so that the edge will not be felt by the wearer nor will it interfere with walking. The sole portion of the protector towards the front or toe of the shoe is thicker in cross sectional area to compensate for the tip of the sole which is usually worn more rapidly than the rest of the sole.

A further object of the invention is to provide a flexible toe protector of varying cross sectional area so that when the protector is pasted to the toe of the shoe air pockets will not form between the toe of the shoe and the protector, thus providing greater adhesion surface between the protector and the shoe toe and any irregularities will be thus compensated for.

A further object of the invention is to provide an inner ridge which lies at the point where the sole meets the leather of the toe upper thus providing additional adhesion surface and preventing air pockets within the toe of the shoe and further preventing a greater amount of wear surface at the greatest point of wear without detracting from the symmetry of the shoe toe.

A further object of the invention is to provide a supplemental shoe toe having ridges creating pleasing designs so that the toe protectors of varying designs'may be provided and added at will to change the appearanceof the toes of shoes. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a toe protector which will aid in holding the upper toe portion to the sole of the shoe, since in many instances the stitching breaks or the adhesive deteriorates so that the toe protector will help in holding the various parts together.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference is-had to the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of thefront part of a shoe showing the toe portion worn through.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the front portion of the shoe shown in Fig. 1, showing the toe portion worn through and also worn down as indicated by the dotdash line and also showing the front sole worn at its leading edge.

Fig. 2a isa sectional view taken through line 2a--2a of Fig. 3a. i i

'ice

Fig. 3 shows the application of the toe protector to the worn shoe front shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 3a is a plan view of the toe protector shown in Fig. 3 and showing one form of design.

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view looking into the toe protector.

Fig. 5 is a top elevational view of one design of a toe protector.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken through line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the toe portion of the shoe showing the application of a modified toe protector which does not cover the front sole portion of the shoe.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken through line 8--8 of Fig. 7. r

Referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows the top view of the front portion of a shoe having a toe upper 10 and showing a worn portion 11 worn through the leather of the shoe. It is well known that most children wear the toe of their shoes more rapidly than any other part of the shoe. In skating and riding bicycles the child often uses the toe portion of the shoe in the nature of a brake and it is not long before the shoe toe is scuffed as shown in Fig. 2 by the dot-dash line 12 or is worn through as indicated by the portion 11. Since the cost of leather shoes, even for children, is comparatively high, it is desirable to provide an inexpensive protector for the toe of the shoe which may be placed upon the toe of a new shoe or to cover scuifs or worn toes of used shoes.

Referring to Fig. 2, while the dot-dash line 12 shows the upper portion of the toe of the shoe worn, the dash lines 13 also indicate that the toe portion of the sole of the shoe also wears more rapidly, especially in childrens shoes, than that of other parts of the shoe and it is therefore also desirable to provide a replacement member which will cover not only the front sole but also the upper toe portion thus reconditioning the shoe and giving it a new and neat appearance.

I have shown one form of toe protector in Fig. 3a and another form in Fig. 5. Both of these members cover not only the upper but the sole portion of the toe. In Fig. 3a the member comprises a front sole portion 14 which tapers to virtually a knife edge 15, while the portion of the front sole portion thickens as it nears the toe as indicated in Fig. 2a, numeral 16. The top toe portion 17 also tapers toward the rearward edge 18 and in the specific design shown, such leading edge is in a double arcuate form emanating into a point 19 at the top central part. Following the rearward edge 18 is a slight ridge 20 which adds to the appearance and finish of the protector member.

Referring to Fig. 2a, which is a section taken through line 2a-2a of Fig. 3a. It will be noted that the front portion 21 of the upper part of the protector member is thicker at the toe and the same holds true for'the leading edge 22 of the front of the sole. Portions 21-22 normally receive the greatest wear and are also thickened to take up the worn portions of the toe of the shoe after the protector is applied to a worn shoe as indicated in Fig. 2, thus virtually reconditioning the toe portion of a worn shoe.

Referring to Fig. 5 this toe protector also has a front sole portion 23 and a top toe portion 24. The structure of the protector member of Fig. 5 is virtually identical to that shown in Fig. 3a except that the top toe portion 24 is cut in semicircular formation with a tapered rearward edge 25 and a ridge 26 following the arc of the rearward edge 25. The cross sectional area in Fig. 6 indicates the thickened portions 27 and 28 of the front portion .and the lea ding edge of the sole portion for Patented May 29, 1956 3 the same purposes as indicated for the protector members of Figs. 3a and 211.

Within the members shown in Figs. 3a and 5 and as indicated in Figs. 2a and 6, there is' an inner V-shaped member 29 and 30 respectively which runs horizontally around the inner arc of the toe member, as shown in Fig. 4 by numeral 29, and lies at the juncture of the toe upper and the upper edge of the sole front, thus taking up space which would be left as an air space if such inner wedge were not provided.

In Fig. 3 I have shown the protector member 3a, 2a applied to the worn front portion of the toe of the shoe shown in Figs. 1 and 2 which clearly shows the reconditioning of the toe front of a worn shoe. It should be noted that the worn portion 11 is completely covered while the worn portions indicated in dot-dash lines in Fig. 2 are also covered by the thickened portions 2122 of the protector member and the front of the sole is also covered by the thickened portion 16, so that all of the portions normally worn most rapidly are completely covered, so that the entire shoe toe is reconditioned and gives a new appearance to a worn shoe.

The toe protectors shown in the figures hereinbefore described may be made of rubber or various forms of flexible plastic materials such as vinyl, polyethylene and other synthetics of like character so that any irregularities in worn portions of shoes would readily be covered by the flexibility and tapering portions of the protector member. These protector members may be applied to the front of the shoe by applying any adhesive well known in the art, by applying the same to the entire inner portion of the protector member which may be readily turned inside out for this purpose.

Of course if the protector members are applied to new shoes in order to save scufling or wearing of the toes, an adhesive of the type of rubber cement may be applied, which will hold the protector in firm position upon the toe of the shoe during such use. However, it would be a simple matter to peel away the protector member from the shoe and remove the applied rubber cement by merely running the finger with a slight pressure over the portion of the toe where the rubber cement has been applied. Should the polish of the toe be removed by the removal of the rubber cement, a simple application of polish will recondtion the surface of the shoe as good as new.

It should be noted that the edge 15 is tapered down to a fine edge so that the juncture of the edge 15 and the sole of the shoe lies virtually in the same plane. Of course the illustrations are somewhat exaggerated to more clearly define the edges. The upper edge 18 is also tapered to a thin edge so that the juncture of said edge and the upper toe of the shoe is not too noticeable. Of course this leading edge may be fashioned in a variety of different forms, one of which is shown in Fig. 5 and various types of ridges of the character of 20 and 26 in the two forms shown may also be fashioned along different designs for the purpose of enhancing the appearance of the shoe.

Referring to Figs. 7 and 8, which are a modification of the protector members of 3a and 5, numeral 31 is the upper toe portion only. This toe protector is virtually identical to the upper portion 17 shown in Fig.3a, except that the front sole portion 14 and the leading edge 22 of the member has been removed. This member has a rearward edge 32 which tapers in a manner similar to that described for Fig. 3a and is thickened at its front portion 33 and terminates in a rounded edge 34 which normally will follow the juncture line between the upper toe front and the upper edge of the front sole of the shoe.

In certain instances where the child is apt to wear the front sole of the shoe it may be desirable to cover only the upper toe of the shoe. This toe member of course may be made of the same materials as hereinbefore described for the members shown in Figs. 3a and 5 and may be applied in the same manner as hcreinbefore described. Of course the upper rearward edge 32 may be designed in a variety of forms and ridges of the nature of ridges 20-26 may be varied upon the surface of the protector member not only for an attractive appearance but for additional thickness should it be required.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the general spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A flexible shoe toe protector comprising a front sole portion tapered toward its rear edge and thickened at its front edge, a top toe portion integral with said front sole portion, said top toe portion having a thickened front portion tapering toward its rearward upper edge, a front thickened vertical portion substantially at right angles to said front sole portion, said top toe thickened front portion thinner than said thickened front edge of said front sole portion an arcuate V-shaped inner ridge between said top toe portion and said front thickened vertical portion, said front thickened vertical portion substantially at right angles to said front sole portion for lodging at the juncture where the bottom of the toe upper meets the upper portion of the sole of the toe of the shoe.

2. A flexible shoe toe protector comprising a front sole portion tapered toward its rear edge and thickened at its front edge, a top toe portion having a double arc terminating in a point along the longitudinal medial line of said protector, said top toe portion integral with said front sole portion, said top toe portion having a thickened front portion tapering toward its rearward upper edge, a front thickened vertical portion substantially at right angles to said front sole portion, said top toe thickened front portion thinner than said thickened front edge of said front sole portion, an arcuate V-shaped inner ridge between the lower end of said top toe portion and said front thickened vertical portion, said front thickened vertical portion substantially at right angles to said front sole portion for lodging at the juncture where the bottom of the toe upper meets the upper portion of the top sole of the shoe.

3. A flexible shoe toe protector comprising a front sole portion tapered toward its rear edge and thickened at its front edge, a top toe portion having a concave arc from one edge to the opposite edge, said top toe portion integral with said front sole portion, said top toe portion having a thickened front portion tapering toward its rearward upper edge, a front thickened vertical portion substantially at right angles to said front sole portion, said top toe thickened front portion thinner than said thickened front edge of said front sole portion, an arcuate V-shaped inner ridge between the lower end of said top toe portion and said front thickened vertical portion, said front thickened vertical portion substantially at right angles to said front sole portion for lodging at the juncture where the bottom of the toe upper meets the upper portion of the toe sole of the shoe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 15,201 Robertson Sept. 20, 1921 122,969 Sage Jan. 23, 1872 616,810 Simister Dec. 27, 1898 1,317,427 Carroll Sept. 30, 1919 1,548,025 DeLuca Aug. 4, 1925 1,699,472 Lundy Ian. 15, 1929 1,726,198 Stahl Aug. 27, 1929 2,007,728 Ranauro July 9, 1935 2,380,050 Karp July 10, 1945 

